The Red Sox will acquire left-handed reliever Craig Breslow from the Diamondbacks, Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com reports (Twitter links). The Red Sox will send Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik to Arizona to complete the trade.
Boston had been seeking left-handed relief. The Angels were also looking at Breslow, according to Magruder. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe first reported that the Red Sox might acquire Breslow.
Breslow has a 2.70 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings this year. The 31-year-old earns $1.8MM and will go to arbitration again this coming offseason. He's on track to reach free agency following the 2013 season.
Podsednik, 36, posted a .387/.409/.484 batting line in 70 plate appearances this year, but missed substantial time with a groin injury. He earns $750K at the MLB level and will become a free agent after the season.
Albers has a 2.29 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings so far in 2012. He is earning $1.08MM this year and will remain under team control as an arbitration eligible player through 2013.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
Richard Gilboy
Albers and Scott Pod, Red Sox confirmed for Wizards.
Andy Forrester
Suddenly the Diamondbacks need left handed relief.
jamesa-2
They brought LHP Patrick Corbin back up. They still have pitching. But the deal just makes no sense sonce the Dbacks are getting nothing of value in return.
Andy Forrester
The Diamondbacks sent Corbin back to Reno because they didn’t want him to pitch out of the bullpen.
Ivan Perez
There’s the blockbuster!! lol
bigpat
Could have really used Breslow in Pittsburgh, oh well.
I guess this helps out both teams.
Joseph Jonathan Herrera
Spare parts for more spare parts, seems to work well for both sides.
M.Kit
Nice move
Tj Kobold
It’s their ace.
MeowMeow
Ah Breslow, one of the few major leaguers who I’m pretty sure is just objectively smarter than I am. The dual degree in biophysics and biochemistry from Yale he has will do that to a guy.
Also, solid numbers and another year of control. Happy to have him in the sometimes-shaky pen.
jb226 2
Wow, that is some truly impressive arrogance.
MeowMeow
Please realize that I’m being a bit tongue-in-cheek there. It’s more that, Breslow is one of the few guys with whom I can’t placate myself by going “Well at least I’m smarter!!!” 😛
NomarGarciaparra
doing a dual degree at Yale doesn’t actually mean he’s smarter…you do realize that right? For all we know, he just barely passed his courses with a C-, and came out with a 2.0 GPA.
melonis_rex
he had a super high GPA though. I can’t remember what it was, but I remember A’s announcers mentioning it when he played with the A’s
MeowMeow
I seem to remember this too. Also, molecular biophysics and biochemistry are wicked hard, especially at a place like Yale.
vtadave
He had a 3.5. Not bad.
MeowMeow
Yep. This is what we call “joking around.”
Also a 2.0 is a C 😛
blc
A couple of things – directed at the other responses here too:
1) MB&B is a single major at Yale.
2) MB&B is a difficult major.
3) Craig made out with a good academic record.
4) Craig was accepted at the NYU School of Medicine, so obviously he did pretty darn well academically.
I’m a Yalie and Diamondbacks fan, and I will miss Breslow in the pen. Hope he does well with Boston – especially if he gets a chance to pitch to Lavarnway, another Yale grad.
MeowMeow
Ah, the way it was phrased I always assumed it was a double major. Still impressive. That stuff involves taking organic chemistry! *shudder*
Jack Cox
Because when I think of Championship Teams, Craig Breslow is immediately the name that comes to mind.
Duncan Craig
The move allows Morales to go back to the rotation…. in which case yes, championship teams often have 95 mph+ throwing lefty starters and multiply lefties in the pen.
M.Kit
Breslow a New Haven native, went to Trumbull HS, Yale
NomarGarciaparra 2
He and Matt Barnes are the Connecticut boys in the organization
Phil Barnes
I like!
notsureifsrs
acceptable
MeowMeow
I’ve liked Breslow for a while, even if he DID go to Yale. No big loss either, and having him next year will be nice.
MaineSox
Supposedly it allows them to put Morales back in the rotation, so I really like the move.
MeowMeow
This is my favorite thing about the move, but what about the other five guys? 25 minutes remain…
Duncan Craig
Agreed, Morales should have never left the rotation, but you can’t blame Bobby for wanting 2 lefties in the pen. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cook get DFA’ed in the next week or so… He’s had a couple good starts, but when that sinker isn’t sinking it’s big trouble.
No Neck
Could this be a precursor for a Dbacks OF being dealt? Upton and Kubel are unlikely to go anywhere. Parra or Young on the move?
notsureifsrs
this is not the boston-arizona trade i was waiting for
M.Kit
No room for Podsednik, since Kalish got called up with Sweeney on the DL, Albers has always been up and down, smart move by Boston
jamesa-2
No room for Scotty Po with Dbacks either. He goes to an organization where he would be #7 on the OF depth chart.
brandons-2
This makes no sense for the dbacks, breslow has done a hell of a job this year
SouthPawRyno
So crappy for ARZ!
ugotrpk3113
Andrew Bailey is going to like this a lot..
WrigleyTerror37
Breslow is back to he original team!
jjs91
The brewers?
M.Kit
He had a stint with Boston in ’06-’07, multiple International League all-star appearances with Pawtucket. Not his original team, but did spend some time in Boston
Eric Fortune
you mean the Milwakees?
jamesa-2
I keep waiting for KT to pull the trigger on the big deal that is going to make the last 2 weeks suddenly make sense. The last 72 hours have been especially head-scratching. Breslow is a solid LHP out of the bullpen and is one of the shining lights on a floundering Dbacks team and they have traded him for two players that don’t add anything to the big league club.
Javier Mejia
Doesnt seem like a smart trade by the dbacks, should of gotten prospect instead.
bigpat
hey hey hey, Matt Albers!
Rabbitov
What exactly were the DBacks thinking on this one?
UnbaisedSoxFan
Albers is actually pretty good.
Rabbitov
He is a pretty consistently meh pitcher who just about always fades down the stretch.
Leo Ramos
They was looking for Bench Help and a LRP
EarlyMorningBoxscore
And with that pennant fever hits the Hub. But seriously I actually like this deal.
vaultroidborn
The Red Sox just got one of the most underrated lefties in the game. He’s got a workhorse mentality (pitches a lot of games), can limit the hits, and can strike a good number of batters out. Overall a good reliever to balance out the righty-heavy bullpen.
DerekJeterDan
This is the first time Cherington has made a trade that I approve of. Nice job.
Duncan Craig
The Bailey trade wasn’t great but it wasn’t awful either. Don’t even think Josh Reddick’s mom thought he would have this kind of year. Lowrie just can’t stay healthy, so the Melancon deal wasn’t too bad…. even after his terrible start
UnbaisedSoxFan
Melacon was horrible to begin the season and Bailey has yet to play a game for the Red Sox. Bad trades.
M.Kit
How was the Melancon deal horrible? He’s been better as of late, and like clockwork, Lowrie is on the DL
Andrew Ward
Same Weiland, he’s on the 60-day DL at that
NomarGarciaparra
Good move…if last year was any indication, Albers is about to drop. Even if not as badly, I don’t expect him to maintain his performance for the entire season. As for Podsednik, there’s just no room or need for him.
melonis_rex
Breslow and Bailey in the back end of that pen will be awesome (and nostalgic).
$6101468
Pod did a good job in limited service but Kalish is the future. Morales can now start if another move is made.
redsox4434
Yeah, a great trade from the Red Sox’ standpoint.
Duncan Craig
Loved Scotty this year but there is really no spot for him. I was kind of hoping to see Kalish as one of the centerpieces for a top of the rotation guy, though. With CC here for the long term (for now) and Bradley and Brentz tearing it up in AA, who knows if Kalish will even be a major cog in the future.
FamousGrouse
Love the Red Sox side of the trade. I think they got the better deal here (so far).
blc
As a Yale student and Diamondbacks fan, how angry am I allowed to be about the Breslow deal?
mlbscout6
You have official permission to throw a temper-tantrum.
UnbaisedSoxFan
I’m glad they traded for Breslow. He’s a class act, good community guy, and a solid bullpen lefty that allows Morales to move back into the rotation.
Leo Ramos
Man this is a nice trade Psednick is a nice outfielder/1B and Matt Albers a great LRP
nice move Dbacks 😀
brandons-2
Neither part of your argument is good, Posednick is going to be in the minors and albers is having by far the best year of his life and probably wont keep it up. He also isnt Left handed. Bad bad trade for the dbacks
Greg Allen
Albers let so many inherited runners score with the Orioles. He, alone, may have cost them the pennant. (Well maybe 4th place)
M.Kit
Hopefully instead of the Texas Fried Chicken gang, we’ll hear about the Yale Genius Gang come September with Breslow and Lavarnway
hawkny11
Breslow pitching to Lavarnway…… Yalie to Yalie…. Gotta be a MLB first when/if it happens…
Jerry232323
this is stupid albers has been good this year, and they got rid of OF depth, which the sox need bc their OF’s like to break their hands punching things
Guest 4299
So… Sox got Podsednik back… this deal seemed to work out for the Sox…